Airfield Briefings
I visited an airfield recently for the first time. In order that I knew what to expect on arrival, I sought information from two sources.
1. Pooleys - which stated "GA aircraft are to join overhead at 1500ft QFE......"
2. UK AIP Specific Aerodrome Information - which stated "There are no overhead joins" and later "It is therefore essential that pilots obtain a briefing prior to departure..... "
I decided to phone up to gain the required PPR and for a briefing and I got a very short response saying they were busy and to look in Pooleys (which it transpired is incorrect for this airfield) and then the phone was put down.
Am I being a bit sensitive here, or is the AFISO having a bad day? Also if the UK AIP says "It is essential that a briefing is obtained is there or, more importantly, should there be an expectation that this is possible given the controller workload i.e. maybe the tower should have two people minimum on watch or is this unrealistic.
I haven't mentioned the airfield because it doesn't matter, it is just an example to highlight a general question.
Any advice warmly welcomed
Barney